Santa Barbara Wine Country is just a couple of hours up the coast from me so I try to get up there several times a year. My wife and I just got back from our latest visit. I’ve got a lot to write about from this trip so I’ll release this report in three parts.
Since we were only there for two days we didn’t get to visit all of the wineries that we hoped to visit. The wineries we were able to visit were Stolpman Vineyards, Foxen Vineyards, Fess Parker Winery, Andrew Murray Vineyards, and Koehler Vineyards. We also had a good bottle of Hitching Post pinot noir and one great bottle of pinot noir from Ojai Vineyards. We were within a stone’s throw of the Consilience and Epiphany tasting rooms in Los Olivos around closing time on Monday, but we just ran out of time.
Here’s a quick rundown of the wines we had at Stolpman and Andrew Murray:
Stolpman Vineyards:
This is probably my favorite winery in the Santa Ynez Valley right now. I just love the wines they’re producing. Stolpman specializes in Rhone varietals, but they also have a fondness for Italian varietals. They combine the two in the wine that was one of my favorites from this trip. The 2006 La Croce is a 50/50 blend of syrah and sangiovese. At $60.00 a bottle it’s expensive, but it is a superb wine.
We also sampled the 2006 Hilltops Syrah, a 100% syrah grown on mountain slopes in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Another Stolpman wine that we tried was the 2006 Estate Syrah, a blend of 85% syrah and 15% viognier. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate rated both the Hilltops and the Estate syrahs at 93 points. It’s hard to pick which one is better, but I probably preferred the Hilltops syrah just a tad. The Hilltops syrah retails for $45.00, while the Estate syrah retails for $30.00.
The 2005 Stolpman Malbec was an unexpected treat. While Argenitna is still the king of malbec, Stolpman did a great job with this wine. The 2005 Malbec is the last that Stolpman will produce. I talked with Tom Stolpman, the owner of Stoplman vineyards, while I was up there last week and he told me that the only reason they made the wine was that another winery who had ordered the grapes reneged on the order and left Stoplman with a lot of malbec grapes they hadn’t planned for. Winemaker Sashi Moorman did an excellent job for Stolpman with this one-time effort.
Stolpman also does great with white grapes. We sampled their 2006 L’Avion, a 90% roussanne, 10% viognier blend. It is one of the two or three best white wines being made in the Central Coast of California right now. It retails for $35.00.
The 2005 Angeli Blanc is a 100% roussanne aged for 22 months before release. It would be a superb wine to serve with a cheese and fruit course. It retails for $50.00. Of the two, I preferred the L'Avion.
One other word about Stolpman. While my wife and I were in their tasting room, one of the pourers opened a bottle of the 2006 La Croce. He brought it over to Tom Stolpman, who was talking with me and my wife. The pourer whispered that the wine was "corked" (a term for wine that, typically, has suffered a TCA contamination from improperly cleaned cork). Most wineries would have hidden the bottle and told the employee to just open another bottle so as not to hurt sales. What did Tom Stolpman do? He asked the room how many of them knew what a "corked" wine smelled like? Almost no one in the packed tasting room raised their hand. He then poured some wine into a glass and walked around the room letting his customers smell a "corked" wine. He told them if they ever got a wine that smelled like that they should send it back. He made no excuses, and turned the moment into a teaching opportunity.
Only a man who loves wine more than he loves the bottom line would do that. I was duly impressed.
Andrew Murray Vineyards:
I only sampled two wines at Andrew Murray: the 2005 Syrah Santa Ynez Valley, retail $25.00 and the 2005 Roasted Slope Syrah, retail $34.00. Andrew Murray is a pioneer in syrah in Santa Barbara County and the quality shows in their wines.
The 2005 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah is comprised of grapes grown on their old estate (70%) and grapes grown at their new Oak Savanna Vineyard (30%). It is a full-bodied wine, very dark in color, and loaded with red-fruit flavors and aromas of cherries, cranberry, and cassis and spicy notes of vanilla, pepper, and caramel.
The 2005 Roasted Slope Syrah, probably their most famous wine, is sourced 100% from a 14 year old Syrah vineyard that Andrew Murray himself planted. The vineyard has 5% Viognier inter-planted amongst the Syrah vines. Accordingly, the wine is a Cote-Blonde style blend of Syrah and Viognier that were picked and fermented together. This particular vineyard is a very shy bearer of fruit, with the average yield over the last few years being right around 1 ton per acre. The 2005 Syrah Roasted Slope is very dark in color, with complex aromas of black cherry, spices, white pepper, toasty oak and violets (from the Viognier). The co-fermentation of the Viognier with the Syrah yields a wine that is slightly softer and smoother for its young age, with the wonderful perfumed highlights of Viognier in the nose. The Viognier also brings out the elusive candied-violets aroma in Syrah. This is a very rich and full-bodied Syrah that could be consumed now, but will benefit from several more years of aging.
Sadly, the winemaker informed me on this trip that the 2005 vintage of the Roasted Slope will probably be the last of its kind since the particular vineyard that was the source of grapes for this wine was sold (by Andrew Murray's parents!) after the 2005 vintage. Unless the grapes are eventually sourced back to Andrew Murray, their signature wine will be no more.
In part 2, I'll write about Fess Parker, Foxen, and Koehler.
In part 3, I'll write about the food and wine experiences we had in the area this time.
Friday, February 20, 2009
California 2008 Wine Grape Crush Totals Down 6 Percent
Red Wine Grapes Down 9 Percent
In the preliminary crush report released today, the California Agricultural Statistics Service said the 2008 wine grape crush totaled just over 3.05 million tons, a significant decrease when compared to the 3.2 million ton 2007 wine grape crop. The 3 million ton total was not seen as a major surprise, though it was a bit higher than some industry observers had expected.
Tonnage of major wine grape varieties other than Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio was down. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,709,040 tons and fell 9 percent compared to 2007.
The 2008 white wine variety crush was essentially flat. It totaled 1,345,112 tons, down 2 percent from 2007, CASS said. Most of that decrease was for Chardonnay, which fell by about 20,000 tons statewide.
"I don't think this changes the direction we were going in," Steve Fredricks of Turrentine Wine Brokerage said of the preliminary crush report. "The light crop will keep things in balance at a time that we're in a recession. But we don't have a lot of new acres to support growth, nor can people afford to put in new acres."
John Ciatti of The Ciatti Company said the report was in line with what players in the industry thought it was going to be. "In the short term, I think we're fine," he said. "If we had a long vintage in this economy it would not be good. Long-term there are some concerns about where some of the grapes are going to come from."
Ciatti noted that at 3 million tons, the industry has roughly the same supply that it had on key varietals in 2002 and that some large wineries have since gone offshore to source grapes for certain generic and less expensive wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon was off 24 percent or roughly 100,000 tons. "That's 84 million bottles," Fredricks noted. "That was spread across all regions and that is one of the most sought after varieties."
Merlot was down 26 percent. Fredricks noted that the Merlot crop was almost half of what it had been a few years ago.
Zinfandel tonnage increased only in areas where it is primarily used for white Zinfandel.
The one red variety that was up statewide was Pinot Noir, which increased 17,000 tons statewide. Much of that increase came from new plantings in the Central Valley, Monterey and Santa Barbara. Surprisingly, Pinot Noir was little changed in Sonoma County, despite considerable frost challenges.
Chardonnay statewide was down by four percent amid tightening inventory and steady sales growth. Though it was down throughout the state, the Chardonnay crush did increase by 13,000 tons in Monterey County, and in the South Central Valley it rose almost 11,000 tons.
Pinot Grigio was up and most of the increase came from the Central Valley. The overall crush was 3,665,375 tons, down less than 1 percent from the 2007 crush of 3,674,453 tons because the raisin and table grape varieties were up sharply from the previous year.
California grape growers received prices in 2008 for red wine, white wine, raisin and table grapes that were, on average, above the 2007 prices. The 2008 average price of all varieties was $544.18, up 4 percent from 2007. Average prices for the 2008 red wine grapes were $642.87, up 3 percent and the average price for white wine grapes was $538.74, up 12 percent.
Chardonnay accounted for the largest percentage of the crush volume with 15.4 percent. As usual, grapes from Napa County received the highest average price, which was $3,390.64 per ton in 2008; up 4 percent District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,235.30, up 7 percent from 2007.
The state-wide 2008 Chardonnay price of $815.00 was up 14 percent from 2007, and the state-wide Cabernet Sauvignon price was $1,098.47 was up 11 percent from 2007. The 2008 statewide average price for Zinfandel was $459.53, down 2 percent from 2007, while the overall Merlot average price was up 9 percent from 2007 at $646.52 per ton.
"We've been growing and consumption has continued to grow," John Ciatti said. "We feel somewhere out there we will need to be planting in key areas and key varietals. That's tough to say today."
Click here for the full report and summary tables:
http://http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Grape_Crush/Prelim/index.asp
In the preliminary crush report released today, the California Agricultural Statistics Service said the 2008 wine grape crush totaled just over 3.05 million tons, a significant decrease when compared to the 3.2 million ton 2007 wine grape crop. The 3 million ton total was not seen as a major surprise, though it was a bit higher than some industry observers had expected.
Tonnage of major wine grape varieties other than Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio was down. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,709,040 tons and fell 9 percent compared to 2007.
The 2008 white wine variety crush was essentially flat. It totaled 1,345,112 tons, down 2 percent from 2007, CASS said. Most of that decrease was for Chardonnay, which fell by about 20,000 tons statewide.
"I don't think this changes the direction we were going in," Steve Fredricks of Turrentine Wine Brokerage said of the preliminary crush report. "The light crop will keep things in balance at a time that we're in a recession. But we don't have a lot of new acres to support growth, nor can people afford to put in new acres."
John Ciatti of The Ciatti Company said the report was in line with what players in the industry thought it was going to be. "In the short term, I think we're fine," he said. "If we had a long vintage in this economy it would not be good. Long-term there are some concerns about where some of the grapes are going to come from."
Ciatti noted that at 3 million tons, the industry has roughly the same supply that it had on key varietals in 2002 and that some large wineries have since gone offshore to source grapes for certain generic and less expensive wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon was off 24 percent or roughly 100,000 tons. "That's 84 million bottles," Fredricks noted. "That was spread across all regions and that is one of the most sought after varieties."
Merlot was down 26 percent. Fredricks noted that the Merlot crop was almost half of what it had been a few years ago.
Zinfandel tonnage increased only in areas where it is primarily used for white Zinfandel.
The one red variety that was up statewide was Pinot Noir, which increased 17,000 tons statewide. Much of that increase came from new plantings in the Central Valley, Monterey and Santa Barbara. Surprisingly, Pinot Noir was little changed in Sonoma County, despite considerable frost challenges.
Chardonnay statewide was down by four percent amid tightening inventory and steady sales growth. Though it was down throughout the state, the Chardonnay crush did increase by 13,000 tons in Monterey County, and in the South Central Valley it rose almost 11,000 tons.
Pinot Grigio was up and most of the increase came from the Central Valley. The overall crush was 3,665,375 tons, down less than 1 percent from the 2007 crush of 3,674,453 tons because the raisin and table grape varieties were up sharply from the previous year.
California grape growers received prices in 2008 for red wine, white wine, raisin and table grapes that were, on average, above the 2007 prices. The 2008 average price of all varieties was $544.18, up 4 percent from 2007. Average prices for the 2008 red wine grapes were $642.87, up 3 percent and the average price for white wine grapes was $538.74, up 12 percent.
Chardonnay accounted for the largest percentage of the crush volume with 15.4 percent. As usual, grapes from Napa County received the highest average price, which was $3,390.64 per ton in 2008; up 4 percent District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,235.30, up 7 percent from 2007.
The state-wide 2008 Chardonnay price of $815.00 was up 14 percent from 2007, and the state-wide Cabernet Sauvignon price was $1,098.47 was up 11 percent from 2007. The 2008 statewide average price for Zinfandel was $459.53, down 2 percent from 2007, while the overall Merlot average price was up 9 percent from 2007 at $646.52 per ton.
"We've been growing and consumption has continued to grow," John Ciatti said. "We feel somewhere out there we will need to be planting in key areas and key varietals. That's tough to say today."
Click here for the full report and summary tables:
http://http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Grape_Crush/Prelim/index.asp
A review of Famiglia Bianchi 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
This is an Argentine wine from the Bodegas Valentin Bianchi winery in Mendoza, Argentina. I've been drinking this wine for over 20 years and it is consistently good from vintage to vintage. I lived in Buenos Aires for five years back in the late 80's and early 90's and I can tell you that Bianchi is one of Argentina's most respected wineries.
Malbec is usually considered to be Argentina's best red wine and the malbecs from Bianchi are very solid, but supposedly Bianchi winemaker Francisco Martínez “loves Cabernet” and I think it shows in the wines they release.
The 2005 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal. The wine spent 12 months in oak, one third of the wine in new oak, one third in one-year old oak, and one third in two year old oak before blending. This 2005 Cabernet’s nose is loaded with berry, casis and mocha notes. The first sip reveals a lot of spice characteristics, which stay with the wine from beginning to end. This is a rich, fairly big wine and should be paired accordingly. Red meat, mushroom based dishes and red sauce pasta dishes are all safe bets. I served it with lasagna last night and it paired very nicely. The oak on this Cabernet is apparent but well integrated and unobtrusive. This is smooth, elegant and well balanced for a Cabernet this young and at this price point. It has good complexity and enough structure for near-term aging. A Napa or Sonoma Cabernet of this quality would easily fetch twice the price.
The Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is widely available for around $16. If you like well made Cabernet at a more than reasonable price, this one is for you. If you can find it at $16 it's a steal.
According to Wine Spectator: "Has a solid structure, with coffee, plum and currant flavors backed by bittersweet cocoa on the finish. Drink now. 6,000 cases made."
Malbec is usually considered to be Argentina's best red wine and the malbecs from Bianchi are very solid, but supposedly Bianchi winemaker Francisco Martínez “loves Cabernet” and I think it shows in the wines they release.
The 2005 Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal. The wine spent 12 months in oak, one third of the wine in new oak, one third in one-year old oak, and one third in two year old oak before blending. This 2005 Cabernet’s nose is loaded with berry, casis and mocha notes. The first sip reveals a lot of spice characteristics, which stay with the wine from beginning to end. This is a rich, fairly big wine and should be paired accordingly. Red meat, mushroom based dishes and red sauce pasta dishes are all safe bets. I served it with lasagna last night and it paired very nicely. The oak on this Cabernet is apparent but well integrated and unobtrusive. This is smooth, elegant and well balanced for a Cabernet this young and at this price point. It has good complexity and enough structure for near-term aging. A Napa or Sonoma Cabernet of this quality would easily fetch twice the price.
The Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet Sauvignon is widely available for around $16. If you like well made Cabernet at a more than reasonable price, this one is for you. If you can find it at $16 it's a steal.
According to Wine Spectator: "Has a solid structure, with coffee, plum and currant flavors backed by bittersweet cocoa on the finish. Drink now. 6,000 cases made."
It's a buyer's market in wine these days.
Although people may not be buying as many expensive bottles as before, they're still seeking out quality wine. And retailers are responding with specials.
Perhaps more than at any other time in the last five years, this is an opportunity for consumers to not only drink really good wines, but also to drink better for less. This is true in nearly every price category, and in nearly every region; for the truly savvy, this could be one of the more exciting periods in recent years for wine lovers.
This is a buyer's market for retailers and consumers alike. Wine shops are scouring distributor catalogs for bargains and actively recalibrating their stock for the new economic reality. In many parts of the market, deals are there for the taking.
Most retailers agree that, in terms of a retail "sweet spot" -- the price that regular customers feel most comfortable spending -- $25 has become the new $40. Whether it's a village Burgundy or a new Syrah from Walla Walla, Washington, people are comfortable spending $25 but get balky if the price rises much above that.
At least some of the deals are coming from distributors, whose warehouses are full of inventory accumulated in better days and who are striking deals to move it out. A store like Wine Exchange is large enough, and has sufficient clout among distributors, that they can leverage even better margins above already discounted offers. Whereas in the past they may have gotten a 30% discount, they may now be getting a 50% discount for buying in large up large inventories. That's the sort of bargain they can pass on to the consumer. Not every shop has this sort of leverage, but most stores have taken advantage of closeouts, end-of-vintage or end-of-year specials.
Meanwhile, the new $25 sweet spot is crowded with value. After a string of good vintages in the Beaujolais, Loire and Rhône valleys, even the most modest bottlings from those regions are drinking beautifully. The 2007 vintage in the Piedmont will one day yield some exquisite Barolos and Barbarescos; but the inexpensive Nebbiolos from Alba and the Langhe -- not to mention a bumper crop of excellent Dolcettos and Barberas -- are marvelous right now. In Spain, 2007 wasn't quite the same quality vintage as in France and Italy, but the values from places like Montsant, Rueda and Bierzo are as strong as ever.
Every retailer I speak with mentioned the exceptional Malbecs of Argentina, which continue to outperform for their price. Not only do they get better with each vintage, but they also stay inexpensive -- almost all of them are under $20. And most retailers predicted that Australia's crowded tier of premium Shirazes and other reds -- wines that came into the market at $40 or more -- is almost certainly going to be discounted for tremendous bargains.
Perhaps more than at any other time in the last five years, this is an opportunity for consumers to not only drink really good wines, but also to drink better for less. This is true in nearly every price category, and in nearly every region; for the truly savvy, this could be one of the more exciting periods in recent years for wine lovers.
This is a buyer's market for retailers and consumers alike. Wine shops are scouring distributor catalogs for bargains and actively recalibrating their stock for the new economic reality. In many parts of the market, deals are there for the taking.
Most retailers agree that, in terms of a retail "sweet spot" -- the price that regular customers feel most comfortable spending -- $25 has become the new $40. Whether it's a village Burgundy or a new Syrah from Walla Walla, Washington, people are comfortable spending $25 but get balky if the price rises much above that.
At least some of the deals are coming from distributors, whose warehouses are full of inventory accumulated in better days and who are striking deals to move it out. A store like Wine Exchange is large enough, and has sufficient clout among distributors, that they can leverage even better margins above already discounted offers. Whereas in the past they may have gotten a 30% discount, they may now be getting a 50% discount for buying in large up large inventories. That's the sort of bargain they can pass on to the consumer. Not every shop has this sort of leverage, but most stores have taken advantage of closeouts, end-of-vintage or end-of-year specials.
Meanwhile, the new $25 sweet spot is crowded with value. After a string of good vintages in the Beaujolais, Loire and Rhône valleys, even the most modest bottlings from those regions are drinking beautifully. The 2007 vintage in the Piedmont will one day yield some exquisite Barolos and Barbarescos; but the inexpensive Nebbiolos from Alba and the Langhe -- not to mention a bumper crop of excellent Dolcettos and Barberas -- are marvelous right now. In Spain, 2007 wasn't quite the same quality vintage as in France and Italy, but the values from places like Montsant, Rueda and Bierzo are as strong as ever.
Every retailer I speak with mentioned the exceptional Malbecs of Argentina, which continue to outperform for their price. Not only do they get better with each vintage, but they also stay inexpensive -- almost all of them are under $20. And most retailers predicted that Australia's crowded tier of premium Shirazes and other reds -- wines that came into the market at $40 or more -- is almost certainly going to be discounted for tremendous bargains.
A review of Ferrari-Carano 2007 Fume Blanc
This is probably my favorite American sauvignon blanc. It's certainly the one I serve most often in my home. Even though I like the 2005 and 2006 a little better than the 2007, this is still a consistently good wine from vintage to vintage.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc is 100% sauvignon blanc, made from a blend of vineyard lots from various appellations of Sonoma County: Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. The taste of this wine is refined and elegant, with bright notes of fruit, good balance (between fruit and alcohol), and enough acidity to balance out the fruit. There's also just a touch of the grassy note that is often characteristic of California sauvignon blancs. When you smell the wine you'll detect aromas of grapefruit, citrus and ripe honeydew melon.
Ferrari-Carano calls their sauvignon blanc "Fume Blanc" because it spends some time in oak. Fume is French for "smoke," and the idea is that the time spent in oak imparts a smoky quality to the wine, as well as adding complexity and depth to the finished product. For those of you who care about such things, the wine was aged partially in stainless steel and older French Oak. Of course, the older the oak is the less oak taste it imparts. This is not a wine where you'd want a heavy influence of oak and the winemaker achieved a good balance.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc pairs well with just about any seafood dish you can imagine. I've had it with lobster, breaded crab with herbs, broiled fish, and shrimp sautéed in olive oil with Creole seasoning and lemon. You could also serve it with roast chicken, pork chops or pork medallions, and veal. This is an incredibly versatile wine. I wouldn't hesitate to pair it with spicy Asian cuisine (especially Thai, Vietnamese, and Burmese), Mexican food, and Cajun dishes. From vintage to vintage, I serve the Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc in my home and it is consistently a hit with those who try it.
If you're tired of chardonnay, give this wine a try the next time you need a good white wine. You probably won't find a better American white wine for under $15.00.
One other thing that I love about this wine is that it comes with a twist-off cap. I'm really tired of getting bottles of corked wine (ie wine that has TCA contamination from bad cork) and that never happens with twist off caps.
I highly recommend this wine.
FYI: Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 90 points.
This wine retails for around $15.00.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc is 100% sauvignon blanc, made from a blend of vineyard lots from various appellations of Sonoma County: Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. The taste of this wine is refined and elegant, with bright notes of fruit, good balance (between fruit and alcohol), and enough acidity to balance out the fruit. There's also just a touch of the grassy note that is often characteristic of California sauvignon blancs. When you smell the wine you'll detect aromas of grapefruit, citrus and ripe honeydew melon.
Ferrari-Carano calls their sauvignon blanc "Fume Blanc" because it spends some time in oak. Fume is French for "smoke," and the idea is that the time spent in oak imparts a smoky quality to the wine, as well as adding complexity and depth to the finished product. For those of you who care about such things, the wine was aged partially in stainless steel and older French Oak. Of course, the older the oak is the less oak taste it imparts. This is not a wine where you'd want a heavy influence of oak and the winemaker achieved a good balance.
The 2007 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc pairs well with just about any seafood dish you can imagine. I've had it with lobster, breaded crab with herbs, broiled fish, and shrimp sautéed in olive oil with Creole seasoning and lemon. You could also serve it with roast chicken, pork chops or pork medallions, and veal. This is an incredibly versatile wine. I wouldn't hesitate to pair it with spicy Asian cuisine (especially Thai, Vietnamese, and Burmese), Mexican food, and Cajun dishes. From vintage to vintage, I serve the Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc in my home and it is consistently a hit with those who try it.
If you're tired of chardonnay, give this wine a try the next time you need a good white wine. You probably won't find a better American white wine for under $15.00.
One other thing that I love about this wine is that it comes with a twist-off cap. I'm really tired of getting bottles of corked wine (ie wine that has TCA contamination from bad cork) and that never happens with twist off caps.
I highly recommend this wine.
FYI: Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 90 points.
This wine retails for around $15.00.
A review of Chateau St. Jean 2007 Fume Blanc
Chateau St. Jean is a well respected California winery from Sonoma County. While they produce both red and white wines, they are best known for their white wines. Fume (which means 'smoke') blanc is the same thing as sauvignon blanc. Robert Mondavi came up with name "fume blanc" in the 60's when he started aging his sauvignon blanc in oak. He felt that the time spent in oak gave the wine a smoky characteristic, and the name was born. Several other wineries now use the term fume blanc instead of sauvignon blanc as well. This wine retails for $13.00, but can often be found for around on sale for around $10.00.
This is a wine that I buy often. It is consistently good from vintage and is an excellent value for the price. You won't find many better white wines in this price range. This wine pairs perfectly with chicken, fish, seafood, and light pasta dishes. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean was blended with a small amount of Semillon and Viognier. It is crisp and refreshing, offering aromas of melon, pear, and hints of spice. On the palate you'll detects flavors of citrus and apricot. As the "fume" part of the name implies, there's also a nice touch of smoke from the time spent in oak.
The wine is nicely balanced between acidity, fruit, and alcohol. For what it's worth, Wine Spectator rated it 90 pts. The Wine Advocate rated it 89 points.
It's a shame that more people aren't drinking sauvignon blanc. While it remains a relatively popular varietal, it has not seen expansive new plantings in California like Chardonnay has. The reality is that in most California viticultural areas, planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon will return more money to the grower. The good news is that there are still some excellent Sauvignon Blanc wines being made in California. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean is certainly one of them.
I recommended the 2007 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc as both a good wine and a good value.
FYI: Sauvignon blanc is the grape in France that is used, alone or with a touch of Semillion, to produce both dry and sweet wines in Graves and Sauternes.
This is a wine that I buy often. It is consistently good from vintage and is an excellent value for the price. You won't find many better white wines in this price range. This wine pairs perfectly with chicken, fish, seafood, and light pasta dishes. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean was blended with a small amount of Semillon and Viognier. It is crisp and refreshing, offering aromas of melon, pear, and hints of spice. On the palate you'll detects flavors of citrus and apricot. As the "fume" part of the name implies, there's also a nice touch of smoke from the time spent in oak.
The wine is nicely balanced between acidity, fruit, and alcohol. For what it's worth, Wine Spectator rated it 90 pts. The Wine Advocate rated it 89 points.
It's a shame that more people aren't drinking sauvignon blanc. While it remains a relatively popular varietal, it has not seen expansive new plantings in California like Chardonnay has. The reality is that in most California viticultural areas, planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon will return more money to the grower. The good news is that there are still some excellent Sauvignon Blanc wines being made in California. The 2007 Chateau St. Jean is certainly one of them.
I recommended the 2007 Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc as both a good wine and a good value.
FYI: Sauvignon blanc is the grape in France that is used, alone or with a touch of Semillion, to produce both dry and sweet wines in Graves and Sauternes.
About this blog
1. My main objective for this blog is to review wines. My plan right now is to review at least one wine per week.
2. I'll try to strike a balance between red wines and white wines. The balance won't be 50/50; there will be more red wines reviewed than white wines simply because I drink more red wine than white wine. However, I'll try to make at least one third of the reviews about white wines. When most people think about white wine they think of chardonnay, but there are some other great white wines out there like sauvignon blanc, viognier, torrontes, and Rhone-style blends from the Central Coast of California that some of you may not be familiar with. I hope to expose you to those great wines, as well as some good value chardonnays.
3. As for price, I'll try to strike a balance there as well. I know that most people don't want to spend a fortune on wine, so I'll try to review as many wines under $20.00 as I can. I also know that most people will occasionally splurge when buying wines for special occasions, so I'll be reviewing more expensive wines from time to time as well.
4. I plan to keep the reviews fairly simple, basically telling you whether or not I liked the wine and if I didn't like it, why I didn't like it. I'll try to avoid the pretentious wine-speak that turns most people off. Also, since for me wine is a beverage best enjoyed with food, I'll give you some suggestions on what kind of food would pair nicely with the wine.
5. From time to time I'll write about issues like food/wine matchups, how to store wine, tips for buying wine, how to read a wine label, understanding wine terminology, etc. .....
Wine is one of the great passions of my life, and has been for over 25 years. I'm glad to have this format to share that passion with you.
L.A.
2. I'll try to strike a balance between red wines and white wines. The balance won't be 50/50; there will be more red wines reviewed than white wines simply because I drink more red wine than white wine. However, I'll try to make at least one third of the reviews about white wines. When most people think about white wine they think of chardonnay, but there are some other great white wines out there like sauvignon blanc, viognier, torrontes, and Rhone-style blends from the Central Coast of California that some of you may not be familiar with. I hope to expose you to those great wines, as well as some good value chardonnays.
3. As for price, I'll try to strike a balance there as well. I know that most people don't want to spend a fortune on wine, so I'll try to review as many wines under $20.00 as I can. I also know that most people will occasionally splurge when buying wines for special occasions, so I'll be reviewing more expensive wines from time to time as well.
4. I plan to keep the reviews fairly simple, basically telling you whether or not I liked the wine and if I didn't like it, why I didn't like it. I'll try to avoid the pretentious wine-speak that turns most people off. Also, since for me wine is a beverage best enjoyed with food, I'll give you some suggestions on what kind of food would pair nicely with the wine.
5. From time to time I'll write about issues like food/wine matchups, how to store wine, tips for buying wine, how to read a wine label, understanding wine terminology, etc. .....
Wine is one of the great passions of my life, and has been for over 25 years. I'm glad to have this format to share that passion with you.
L.A.
Three more white wine reviews (including one WWSO)
Crios 2008 Torrontes (Retail: $15.00)
Torrontes is an Argentine white wine varietal. I used to drink it all the time when I lived in Argentina, but I've not been impressed with the torrontes wines that Argentina has released for export. Until now. This is an excellent wine, and quite a bargain at its suggested retail price of $15.00. I found it at Costco for $11.89, which in an incredible value. Torrontes has a very floral aroma, similar to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a viognier. This is a light, charming wine that you'll find to be be very versatile when pairing it with food. I served it last night with some rotisserie chicken topped with chives, hoi-sen sauce and served in corn tortillas. It was an excellent match. You could serve it with most dishes that you normally think of when you serve white wine. In Argentina I actually used to drink it with steak sometimes, and some of my Argentine buddies told me they did the same thing. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 91 points. That sounds just about right to me. The winemaker at Crios, well respected Susanna Balbo, hit a home run with this offering. ***This is a wine worth seeking out (WWSO)
Edna Valley Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay (Retail: $15.00)
Edna Valley is a fairly large winery in the San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles area of north of Santa Barbara in California. However, they consistently turn out one of the best values in California chardonnay. In fact, this wine is one of about three white wines that I always keep on hand to serve as a sort of house white wine. I can usually find it on sale for around $10.00, and I buy several bottles at a time when I do. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 89 points.
Meridian 2007 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County (Retail: $12.00)
Honestly, this is not a wine I would normally buy. But I had a little chicken salad left over the other day and while I was at Wal-Mart I thought I’d buy a bottle of inexpensive white wine to go with the sandwiches. I believe this wine retails for around $12.00, but I got it at Wal-Mart for $7.74. It was certainly worth that price, although I don’t think I’d pay much more than that for it. The wine is well balanced (between fruit and alcohol) and medium bodied. In its price range it’s not a bad buy.
Torrontes is an Argentine white wine varietal. I used to drink it all the time when I lived in Argentina, but I've not been impressed with the torrontes wines that Argentina has released for export. Until now. This is an excellent wine, and quite a bargain at its suggested retail price of $15.00. I found it at Costco for $11.89, which in an incredible value. Torrontes has a very floral aroma, similar to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc or a viognier. This is a light, charming wine that you'll find to be be very versatile when pairing it with food. I served it last night with some rotisserie chicken topped with chives, hoi-sen sauce and served in corn tortillas. It was an excellent match. You could serve it with most dishes that you normally think of when you serve white wine. In Argentina I actually used to drink it with steak sometimes, and some of my Argentine buddies told me they did the same thing. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 91 points. That sounds just about right to me. The winemaker at Crios, well respected Susanna Balbo, hit a home run with this offering. ***This is a wine worth seeking out (WWSO)
Edna Valley Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay (Retail: $15.00)
Edna Valley is a fairly large winery in the San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles area of north of Santa Barbara in California. However, they consistently turn out one of the best values in California chardonnay. In fact, this wine is one of about three white wines that I always keep on hand to serve as a sort of house white wine. I can usually find it on sale for around $10.00, and I buy several bottles at a time when I do. Wilfred Wong of Bevmo.com rated this wine 89 points.
Meridian 2007 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County (Retail: $12.00)
Honestly, this is not a wine I would normally buy. But I had a little chicken salad left over the other day and while I was at Wal-Mart I thought I’d buy a bottle of inexpensive white wine to go with the sandwiches. I believe this wine retails for around $12.00, but I got it at Wal-Mart for $7.74. It was certainly worth that price, although I don’t think I’d pay much more than that for it. The wine is well balanced (between fruit and alcohol) and medium bodied. In its price range it’s not a bad buy.
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